Entisar Elsaeed facts for kids

Entisar Elsaeed (also spelled Entessar El-Saeed, Intisar al-Saeed) is an Egyptian activist for women's rights and is the founder and director of the Cairo Foundation for Development and Law. Her foundation and mission primarily focus on helping victims of domestic abuse.

Activism

COVID-19 pandemic

With the coming of the COVID-19 pandemic, Elsaeed and her foundation focused on increasing domestic abuse inflicted on many women. Also, the responsibility for keeping family members safe and socially distanced was observed to most frequently fall on the mother of the household, along with general responsibility for the health and care of the family. Elsaeed's foundation increased its output of educational material on these issues, which allowed them to continue to make an impact while still adhering to safe COVID protocols.

Free speech

Elsaeed commented on safe spaces, remarking on local project Girl Zone in rural Banha, near Cairo, that while she supported the project's goal of encouraging girls to engage in community work, culture, and sports, the safe space also promoted segregation, isolation, and discrimination. She noted that creation of such a safe space would be better done in more rural areas such as Upper Egypt, where women face stricter restrictions and alienation.

Women's Rights

As grassroots feminist movements in Egypt began to take place, Elsaeed asserted that new legislation regarding personal status proposed by the Egyptian government should promote gender equality. She further asserted that custody cases should be decided in compliance with international law, educational guardianship should be shared, and women should have personal autonomy and freedoms without requiring permission from their husbands. She described this treatment of women in the 21st century as "inconceivable".